Intertap beer faucets

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Despite my previous intertap bashing (well not bashing, just opinion that they are not as good of quality as Perlicks) they have been working extremely well on my portable generator cooler contraption. Taps with spring back handles are a must on something that gets wheeled around at parties and shoved into the back of a vehicle. Although the flow isn't as perfect as my perlicks they have been working just fine and I have been getting great pours.
 
BTW the intertaps are again available on aliexpress to be shipped to the states from brewmaster. But unfortunately there is no savings over ebays prices as their was in the past.. He also no longer has any flow control models for sale.
 
So I've read through this entire thread, every post, and have a few questions. First I want to say what a whirlwind of a thread!

Preface: I got 4 free perlick 525SS on craigslist, and I want to upgrade to 6 taps, and thinking I might switch to intertap. I'm not crazy about my 525s, they just don't seem to close with certainty. You can still move the handle back and forth in the closed position. I put in all new orings. And they drip like 10-12 times after a pour.

Anyway a few questions from reading this thread:

*Now that it seems all the dust has settled on the ventamatic/intertap deal, it seems there are several well known US retailers selling the intertap (williams, birdman, morebeer, ritebrew). I assume this is the way to go now? Not through some overseas outfit?

*I also saw in this thread many times, on the aliexpress, the word 'clone' used for perlicks and intertap. What is going on with all that? Back to question 1. Are these clones cheaper or something?

*Regarding cleaning lines; I read several good ideas on here, especially usnig the intertap ball lock spout. I did see several people wondering how big of a pump they needed depending on how many taps they were cleaning.. My question is, can you not just use an extra keg, filled with cleaner/sanitizer of your choice, and use CO2 to push it all through your series of faucets/hoses? Why are some of you buying $50+ pumps to do this? What is the advantage? (Or disadvantage of CO2)

*I've noticed discussion on the john guest fittings and the bev seal ultra tubing. That looks really great and easy, but will any other hoses fit on the john guest fittings? (specifically looking at the ones on ritebrew.com) I've never used them before. What Id/od does the tube need to be?. My current tubing is id/od - 3/16" - 7/16". Or am I overthinking this and they make JG fittings for all sizes of tubing? This can obviously done later over time.

*Ritebrew seems to be the winner on price for the intertapss FC. I can get 6 shipped for $229, or $38 and change a piece. Any better deal out there? What I don't know for sure is if they are the G2. Birdman specifically lists them as, and they have the 3 packs for cheap (but shipping is not spectacular)

So do Perlicks still hold their value? Want to unload the 4 I have. Seems the retail price is still up there.
 
So I've read through this entire thread, every post, and have a few questions. First I want to say what a whirlwind of a thread!

Preface: I got 4 free perlick 525SS on craigslist, and I want to upgrade to 6 taps, and thinking I might switch to intertap. I'm not crazy about my 525s, they just don't seem to close with certainty. You can still move the handle back and forth in the closed position. I put in all new orings. And they drip like 10-12 times after a pour.

Anyway a few questions from reading this thread:

*Now that it seems all the dust has settled on the ventamatic/intertap deal, it seems there are several well known US retailers selling the intertap (williams, birdman, morebeer, ritebrew). I assume this is the way to go now? Not through some overseas outfit?

*I also saw in this thread many times, on the aliexpress, the word 'clone' used for perlicks and intertap. What is going on with all that? Back to question 1. Are these clones cheaper or something?

*Regarding cleaning lines; I read several good ideas on here, especially usnig the intertap ball lock spout. I did see several people wondering how big of a pump they needed depending on how many taps they were cleaning.. My question is, can you not just use an extra keg, filled with cleaner/sanitizer of your choice, and use CO2 to push it all through your series of faucets/hoses? Why are some of you buying $50+ pumps to do this? What is the advantage? (Or disadvantage of CO2)

*I've noticed discussion on the john guest fittings and the bev seal ultra tubing. That looks really great and easy, but will any other hoses fit on the john guest fittings? (specifically looking at the ones on ritebrew.com) I've never used them before. What Id/od does the tube need to be?. My current tubing is id/od - 3/16" - 7/16". Or am I overthinking this and they make JG fittings for all sizes of tubing? This can obviously done later over time.

*Ritebrew seems to be the winner on price for the intertapss FC. I can get 6 shipped for $229, or $38 and change a piece. Any better deal out there? What I don't know for sure is if they are the G2. Birdman specifically lists them as, and they have the 3 packs for cheap (but shipping is not spectacular)

So do Perlicks still hold their value? Want to unload the 4 I have. Seems the retail price is still up there.
Whether you go thru a US distributor and pay the additional markup fees or not its your choice... in the end you will still get the same chinese made taps, there are no known knockoffs of these intertap facuets. There are clones of the now discontinued perlick taps that also have the interchangeable tips that are interchangeable with the intertap tips. (discontinued because of a patent dispute) I have compared perlick branded faucets to these clones and they are almost indistinguishable with the parts from one being fully interchangeable with the other.

I know its a lot to read and its confusing because of incorrect assuptions made by people in it but you should have noticed every link mentioning these distinctly different clones shows the spring loaded oring and ball perlick design taps with the similar interchangeable tips and not the intertaps.
I bought both from aliexpress. At the time my stainless flow control intertap brand facuets were $32 shipped from aliexpress and the same thing through williams was $50 plus shipping so I literally got 2 for the price of one but the difference was ventomatic didnt get royalites for the design it feels was stolen from them by kegking (intertap) everywhere else in the world the australian branded intertaps sold for less because of this patent issue in the US which now seems to have been resolved and the prices dropped slightly.
btw all of kegkings products are made in china and available fromthe manufacturers on aliexpress complete with the kegking retail packaging.. I also bought one of thier beerguns there for $38 shipped a couple years back.
That said lets take the basic plated brass taps for example $13 with free shipping per tap vs $18 plus shipping for the same tap may be worth it for "support" if you are only ordering one or two but if your ordering 6 you would still come out way ahead even if the unlikey event that half of them needed to be replaced shortly after purchasing...
 
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I am using two Intertap FC taps that I ordered from Ritebrew. I've only had them in use about 2 weeks and so for no issues. These are my first faucets so I cannot compare to Perlicks.

As for the JG Fittings, I use them with the Bev Seal Ultra tubing. It literally took me 30 sec to attached the fittings and hose. Definitely recommend if you go that route. If you are referring to the Bev Seal Ultra tubing from Ritebrew, that's what I am using and works with the JG fittings.

Line Cleaning: I currently use a hand pump but I only have two taps. I also have a pump that I may down the line use for cleaning the lines. I just think people use a cheap pump (<$15) instead of wasting CO2. How much of CO2 you would use to clean the lines IDK.
 
Whether you go thru a US distributor and pay the additional markup fees or not its your choice... in the end you will still get the same chinese made taps, there are no known knockoffs of these intertap facuets. There are clones of the now discontinued perlick taps that also have the interchangeable tips that are interchangeable with the intertap tips. (discontinued because of a patent dispute) I have compared perlick branded faucets to these clones and they are almost indistinguishable with the parts from one being fully interchangeable with the other.

I know its a lot to read and its confusing because of incorrect assuptions made by people in it but you should have noticed every link mentioning these distinctly different clones shows the spring loaded oring and ball perlick design taps with the similar interchangeable tips and not the intertaps.
I bought both from aliexpress. At the time my stainless flow control intertap brand facuets were $32 shipped from aliexpress and the same thing through williams was $50 plus shipping so I literally got 2 for the price of one but the difference was ventomatic didnt get royalites for the design it feels was stolen from them by kegking (intertap) everywhere else in the world the australian branded intertaps sold for less because of this patent issue in the US which now seems to have been resolved and the prices dropped slightly.
btw all of kegkings products are made in china and available fromthe manufacturers on aliexpress complete with the kegking retail packaging.. I also bought one of thier beerguns there for $38 shipped a couple years back.
That said lets take the basic plated brass taps for example $13 with free shipping per tap vs $18 plus shipping for the same tap may be worth it for "support" if you are only ordering one or two but if your ordering 6 you would still come out way ahead even if the unlikey event that half of them needed to be replaced shortly after purchasing...

I see the intertap flow controls on rite brew for $38 a piece, with $1 shipping (rite brew). Are you saying I can get it for cheaper from overseas?


Line Cleaning: I currently use a hand pump but I only have two taps. I also have a pump that I may down the line use for cleaning the lines. I just think people use a cheap pump (<$15) instead of wasting CO2. How much of CO2 you would use to clean the lines IDK.
I figure you're pushing one keg worth of cleaner or sanitizer to clean all taps. What is that, 1/4 pound of CO2? Negligible. The pump I was referencing that someone linked on amazon was $50. That's what got me wondering; he would never use that much CO2 to clean lines in a lifetime. It made me think I was missing something.
 
I see the intertap flow controls on rite brew for $38 a piece, with $1 shipping (rite brew). Are you saying I can get it for cheaper from overseas?



I figure you're pushing one keg worth of cleaner or sanitizer to clean all taps. What is that, 1/4 pound of CO2? Negligible. The pump I was referencing that someone linked on amazon was $50. That's what got me wondering; he would never use that much CO2 to clean lines in a lifetime. It made me think I was missing something.
What I actually said was they used to cost more locally and the prices have dropped. when I bought my flow controls for $35.50 (they were 32 when I bought them) here https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hig...00001060668.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.EDphf9 they were $50 locally + shipping. and right after I posted that on this thread the seller was shut down from being able to sell these to the united states because the local distributors couldnt compete apparently while intertap supplied them after paying the royalty fees to ventomatic even though they didnt invent them... but all thats in this thread already. the cost of these has been dropping the longer they have been on the market. just look at what people are trying to unload them for on ebay.
 
I initially said "Now that it seems all the dust has settled on the ventamatic/intertap deal, it seems there are several well known US retailers selling the intertap. I assume this is the way to go now? Not through some overseas outfit?"

You replied with "Whether you go thru a US distributor and pay the additional markup fees or not its your choice" That sounded current tense to me, and that you are inferring it's still currently cheaper overseas. As I'm looking to make the purchase now, I'm not concerned with how it used to be. I mean today.
 
Yes rite brew has the best prices ive seen in a while. I would buy from there today but it contantly changes as this thread has pointed out last I checked before today based on your comments it wasnt the case..then again if I searched more I likely could find some seller selling them cheaper.
I made my first comment based on the info I remembered from then and also to clarify on your followed implied comments about there being intertap clones.. But I guess you could have done quick google search using the links in this thread and determined all that yourself so im not sure why you asked either? Especially since you already had the answers? Simple misunderstanding and communication I suppose.
 
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Alright, we it's done. Rite brew seemed to be the cheapest US vendor I could find.

6 Intertap Gen2 (confirmed with ritebrew) flow control faucets
1 growler spout
1 ball lock spout

All for $242 and change plus $2 shipping.

Picked up a stout spout for $7 free shipping on aliexpress.

Pretty excited. I just sold some old rear sealing faucets that I 'inherited' for $40, and I hope to get about $100 for my 4 Perlick 525SS which I got for free on craigslist, putting me out of pocket only about $100.

Another question for cleaning lines; is it more effective to go opposite the direction of beer flow? (in other words, into faucet and towards QD) or does it not make a difference?
Trying to decide whether or not I want 4 more of the ball lock spouts allowing me to go entirely either in normal OR reverse direction, or pick up 3 of BobbyMs ball lock jumper post, which would mean half of the lines are reverse flow, and half are normal flow direction.
https://www.brewhardware.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=Ball_Lock_JumperPost&CartID=1
 
. But then again you could have done quick googlle search using the links in this thread and determined that yourself so im not sure why you asked?
In one day, I read 1000+ replies of a thread that covers two years of craziness; It was a lot of information to take in. Your first line of your response then confused me even more, since you didn't preface it with 'it USED to be'
 
I initially said "Now that it seems all the dust has settled on the ventamatic/intertap deal, it seems there are several well known US retailers selling the intertap. I assume this is the way to go now? Not through some overseas outfit?"

You replied with "Whether you go thru a US distributor and pay the additional markup fees or not its your choice" That sounded current tense to me, and that you are inferring it's still currently cheaper overseas. As I'm looking to make the purchase now, I'm not concerned with how it used to be. I mean today.
In one day, I read 1000+ replies of a thread that covers two years of craziness; It was a lot of information to take in. Your first line of your response then confused me even more, since you didn't preface it with 'it USED to be'
thats because I like everyone else in this thread your addressing have already made purchases based upon the way it was when we did so... I seen no reason to check and see if things are different today . you did and obviously could have shared that info in your opening statement as well no?
 
Look man, this is my first time ever seeing the thread. For a while there, dozens of people were posting links to different sites to buy the products (and all the different clones and names which was confusing enough) and many people went through with purchases. Then I slowly see people buying from US, but still people posting overseas links saying it's cheaper. I asked a simple question, assuming there were some people out there that have followed this story since day 1 and have moved forward with a purchase recently, knowing all the facts and changes, and that all this mess is much more simplified now. Your first line was 'if you want pay a higher price you can buy US'. That was confusing and (now I know) simply false. Why you said it, or why you didn't preface it with 'when I bought mine a year ago' is unknown, but it would have prevented our little back and forth here and the source of my confusion.

Now let's move along.


For those looking to buy Intertaps, from my not completely thorough research, it seems the Intertaps aren't even sold on the aliexpress site anymore (not with a basic intertap search anyway), and maybe elsewhere internationally, but not undercutting US pricing. There are several US retailers that have them. Out of the 4 I found, ritebrew was the cheapest when buying 6 of them, though birdman wasn't far behind with their low prices on 3,4 and 5 packs.
 
They are still up theres on aliexpress.. if you look at the seller link I posted above and look at his other items youll see has all of them listed from time to time and currently has all the models but the flow control for sale. He has the accessories too.He is the only seller ive ever seen selling them there. He wasnt allowed to sell these to the states until recently when the prices started coming down which is why I believe something changed with the ventomatic royalties.
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...327.html?spm=2114.12010608.0.0.5598c5a7ewFq95

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...835.html?spm=2114.12010608.0.0.5598c5a7J1H03J

from what I remember Williams brewing has had these from the start except for a short period when they had no stock and its where most people bought them in the beginning for quite a bit more money than today
 
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Alright, we it's done. Rite brew seemed to be the cheapest US vendor I could find.

6 Intertap Gen2 (confirmed with ritebrew) flow control faucets
1 growler spout
1 ball lock spout

All for $242 and change plus $2 shipping.

Picked up a stout spout for $7 free shipping on aliexpress.

Pretty excited. I just sold some old rear sealing faucets that I 'inherited' for $40, and I hope to get about $100 for my 4 Perlick 525SS which I got for free on craigslist, putting me out of pocket only about $100.

Another question for cleaning lines; is it more effective to go opposite the direction of beer flow? (in other words, into faucet and towards QD) or does it not make a difference?
Trying to decide whether or not I want 4 more of the ball lock spouts allowing me to go entirely either in normal OR reverse direction, or pick up 3 of BobbyMs ball lock jumper post, which would mean half of the lines are reverse flow, and half are normal flow direction.
https://www.brewhardware.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=Ball_Lock_JumperPost&CartID=1

Personally, if I were you I would skip the Intertap growler adapter and just buy a Perlick 625 growler filler insert. It fits perfectly into the Intertap nozzle and doesn't require any unscrewing.
 
As I'll be going down this road eventually, is unscrewing the tip that big of a deal?

It's not a huge issue, but there is a little washer in there that keeps the threads liquid tight and it can be a bit annoying to get it seated properly. It's MUCH faster to insert the Perlick adapter and it fills perfectly. I bought the Intertap growler filler adapter and have never once used it.

I could actually see the potential for some foaming problems with the Intertap adapter because the opening is fairly large diameter (1/2in). It would be difficult to keep an adequate flow rate to keep a 1/2in hose filled to prevent splashing.
 
Personally, if I were you I would skip the Intertap growler adapter and just buy a Perlick 625 growler filler insert. It fits perfectly into the Intertap nozzle and doesn't require any unscrewing.
I already purchased it. Oh well, all of $5. I can use it for cleaning; instead of cleaner just falling out of spout into a bucket, it can be directed with a hose into a bucket.
 
Never had an issue with mine. Never thought dealing with the washer was that dig of deal. Also of you use a stopper when filling like in biermuncher's "we don't need no stinking beer gun thread", it won't pop out like some pressure fit growler fillers can. Though a stopper isn't needed and I haven't used one in years.

I like these taps.
 

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Hello there,

I just bought a new Perlick 630PC faucet for my third tap. I have started to use it and it appears to be leaking a bit after I pour a beer. I'm tempted to return it and get an intertap.

The MAIN reason I bought a Perlick was for the ability to lock the taps in a few years so my kids can't be tempted. The lock is here: https://www.perlick.com/residential/products/accessories/view/beer-faucet-lock-for-630ss-faucets

Can anyone confirm if this lock works on Intertap?

Thanks,
Lorne
 
It might not be made by Intertap/KegKing, but work for it. The screw in growler filler works fine for me, but I do miss being able to quickly fill a couple bottles of multiple taps.
 
The locks will NOT work on Intertap faucets. The Perlicks have a metal tab that sticks down below the tap body back near the threads. (See the photo)
Perlick.jpg
The Intertap does not have this. Without it, the lock will just slide off.
 
My opinion on these has already been said, I am very happy with my intertap faucet.

answering the CO2 to run the cleaner through, with a pump you can let it recirc all day long. with co2 you run the keg, stop, refil keg, go again.

I put my pbw in a kettle, remove the liquid lines from the kegs and connect them to each other with a stainless steel barb. I then run the kettle to my pump, pump to the first tap with a growler filler, then put my kettle under the second tap wide open. and walk away, 30 minutes later go back and run clean water through. Simple, works, no co2, no refilling kegs, etc.
 
Could not be any happier with my decision to go with an Intertap tower! The ball lock connection is perfect for bottling and the stout spout creates such a beautiful head I will probably buy more! Silicone tubing will fit right over the standard spout so I'm not sure how useful the barbed one is but they're only a few bucks so not a big deal. Might find a use for it down the line. If you are on the fence, climb over to the Intertap side. You won't regret it!
[emoji482]
MVIMG_20180201_192040.jpg
MVIMG_20180128_090823.jpg
 
My opinion on these has already been said, I am very happy with my intertap faucet.

answering the CO2 to run the cleaner through, with a pump you can let it recirc all day long. with co2 you run the keg, stop, refil keg, go again.

I put my pbw in a kettle, remove the liquid lines from the kegs and connect them to each other with a stainless steel barb. I then run the kettle to my pump, pump to the first tap with a growler filler, then put my kettle under the second tap wide open. and walk away, 30 minutes later go back and run clean water through. Simple, works, no co2, no refilling kegs, etc.

I have a similar setup for my cleaning. I use a water pump I got at Harbor Freight for a few bucks. The hose from my growler filler fits directly into it. I then bring my hose and take of my quick disconnect and put it in the container with the pump. Open the faucet and push the OxiClean backwards through the line for about 20-30 mins. Then I do it with sanitizer before it’s time to tap a new keg!

Works like a dream and I don’t need to use any gas or an empty keg. I’d rather keep beer in my kegs!
 
Thanks for the link. It says it doesn’t work with Perlick. Does that mean it won’t work for intertap too?
Perlick and Intertap are not the same tap. Which brand do you have?

If you have perlicks, use the perlick lock (doesn't work on intertap).
If you have intertap, use the generic lock (doesn't work on Perlick)
 
GUYS!! Why is everyone arguing over where to buy these at? I just purchased 3 intertaps, 3 springs, and a ball lock attachment directly from Intertap on AMAZON with Prime shipping. Problem solved!

LOOOVVVEEE these BTW! My Keezer is now kid safe from accidental opening of the taps. Plus they look stellar
 
GUYS!! Why is everyone arguing over where to buy these at? I just purchased 3 intertaps, 3 springs, and a ball lock attachment directly from Intertap on AMAZON with Prime shipping. Problem solved!

LOOOVVVEEE these BTW! My Keezer is now kid safe from accidental opening of the taps. Plus they look stellar

Well, I definitely won't argue that amazon is my go-to first choice to find things. But;

Amazon:
SS faucet $40
spring $6
ball lock $13.50

ritebrew.com (where I purchased mine, with $2 shipping, 3 days)
SS faucet $27
Spring $1
ball lock $8.50

You paid about $60 too much. Lesson learned; amazon doesn't ALWAYS win on price. I still price check elsewhere, every time.
 
Metaltim, you are correct about Amazon. Before my old hard drive crashed, I had the wikibuy plugin. Whenever I looked at an item on Amazon, it would automatic search prices for that item on other sites, and show me where to get the lowest price. It is helpful, but you have to use your own judgement on whether you want to purchase from a particular site. Total cost, shipping rates, and delivery time are other considerations.
 
Well, I definitely won't argue that amazon is my go-to first choice to find things. But;

Amazon:
SS faucet $40
spring $6
ball lock $13.50

ritebrew.com (where I purchased mine, with $2 shipping, 3 days)
SS faucet $27
Spring $1
ball lock $8.50

You paid about $60 too much. Lesson learned; amazon doesn't ALWAYS win on price. I still price check elsewhere, every time.

Actually my receipts show I paid $34 for the faucets. Looks like it wsn't direct from Intertap but a different seller, and at free shipping too. But ya lol I didn't know they were that cheap there! Hope they're real!
 
That may be true today but this is a long evolving thread... For example when I first posted in it, I was able to buy my flow control stainless intertaps for something like $34 with free shipping from AliExpress when all the other retailers were asking $50 + shipping since then the intertaps have steadily dropped in price but that still varys from source to source depending on reseller markups. Tomorrow somewhere else will likely have a better deal.
Btw I have a bunch of both intertaps and the unbranded perlick style taps with the interchangable tips and they all work just the same for me... Since they are all Chinese made the quality is comparible between the ones I have as well.. I even bought 12 for my brewpub.
 
^That's^ totally true, there were wild pricing swings/differentials when the Intertaps were first rolled out along with varying degrees of availability.
Seems to have settled down...

Cheers!
 
I don't want to spend 3 or 4 hours reading through the entire thread, I'm looking for information on a counter-pressure bottle filler that will screw into the Intertap 843160 flow control faucets from RiteBrew. Thanks.
 
I don't want to spend 3 or 4 hours reading through the entire thread, I'm looking for information on a counter-pressure bottle filler that will screw into the Intertap 843160 flow control faucets from RiteBrew. Thanks.

It would be easier to buy the ball lock connector attachment and then connect a conventional counter pressure filler to that.
 
It would be easier to buy the ball lock connector attachment and then connect a conventional counter pressure filler to that.
I have a counter pressure system already, I thought there might be a threaded attachment for the Intertap's.
 
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